Unbeaten Crusaders hand Horses first loss

TROY >> The Catholic High boys basketball team went into the locker room at halftime on Friday night and mutually decided that losing was not an option.

The Crusaders (5-0, 5-0) knew this was the moment they had been waiting for, two seasons of hard work and dedication all on the line against inter-city rival Troy High. So, with a chance to make a statement across Section II, Catholic Central simply refocused, zeroed in on the gameplan and took control en route to a 77-61 victory.

“They just wanted it,” Catholic Central coach Chuck Mack said. “They were just down here at halftime, saying that if we’re going to lose, we’re going to do it our way. That’s what some of the boys told me, but then they turned around and said, we’re not going to lose coach.”

Two seasons after finishing 1-19, Catholic Central is currently undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the Big 10.

After the Flying Horses (4-1, 4-1) came out shooting early in the first quarter, led by Dyaire Holt’s eight points in the first eight minutes, the Crusaders kept it close before eventually taking a 17-16 lead midway through the second.

But the Troy offense was not silenced so quickly, taking control in the final minutes of the half thanks to offensive rebounds and second-chances under the basket.

By the end of the second quarter, the Flying Horses were ahead by seven and looking pretty comfortable on the court.

“Dyaire is a great player,” Mack said of Troy’s leading scorer this season. “Obviously coach Hurley is a hall of fame coach so we’ve got to fight against that.”

While Troy had effectively set the tempo and the rhythm of the game’s first-half, something changed for the Crusaders with 4:53 left in the third quarter.

Facing a 13-point deficit Anthony Mack, who finished with his first-career triple double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, sank back-to-back shots in the paint, staving off the Troy offensive run and giving Catholic Central exactly the push it needed to battle back.

“Nobody cared about their points or anything,” Mack said. “We did what we had to do to win, that’s about it.”

From there on out, the momentum of the game shifted entirely in the direction of the Crusaders as the team went on an 18-to-2 point run over the next three minutes, including another layup from Mack to give his team a lead they would never again surrender.

While Mack’s shot was certainly a game-changer, the entire Catholic Central offense found a rhythm in the third quarter, working the ball into the open man and not forcing anything that wasn’t open.

“We had a two hour practice on Thursday and about a good hour and a half of that was all spent on moving the ball,” Mack said. “That’s what was important.”

Although the Crusaders didn’t change much as far a game plan went in the second half, Catholic Central’s full-court press did force Troy into a handful of turnovers that ultimately put some separation between the two teams.

“It’s huge,” senior guard Jiriem Tedder, who racked up 12 points and five steals, said of the defensive stand. “It just gives us that extra fight that we need.”

As Catholic Central continued to pull away and take control of the game, the Flying Horses were finding it more and more difficult to work their way back. Foul trouble in particular made it difficult for Troy to stage a late-game comeback.

“That’s the breaks,” Horses coach Richard Hurley said. “That’s not an excuse. In a physical game like this I thought a couple of them were a little ticky-tacky but they called them and we needed to do a better job of adjusting without our players. That’s on me and developing our bench.”

The Flying Horses were held to just 29 points in the second half, finishing 37% from the floor.

“Catholic High was fantastic,” Hurley said. “They deserved it and they earned it. They were the faster team, the stronger team when they needed it.”

Troy won’t have much time to think too much about Friday’s loss as the Flying Horses will be back on the court today when they take on Utica Proctor in a non-league matchup.

As the Horses look to rebound, the Crusaders are ready to keep their early-season success going and make sure that the rest of Section II knows they’re a team that is ready to play every time they take the court.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Mack said. “It’s a big statement. Watch out for Catholic High.”